The Balinese is a breed of oriental cat with long hair and Siamese-style markings, or points . They resemble a Siamese with a medium-length silky coat and a plumed tail, but not nearly as fluffy as a Himalayan , and they require much less grooming. Balinese are extremely intelligent cats, although less talkative than their Siamese ancestors.

Balinese Cat Origin

The Balinese was a spontaneous mutation in Siamese litters in the U.S. in the 1950s.

The Balinese was originally registered as a 'longhaired Siamese', and examples were known from the early 1920s. The occasional long-haired kittens in a Siamese litter were seen as an oddity, and sold as household pets rather than as show cats.

This changed in the mid-1950s, when two breeders, Mrs. Marion Dorsey of Rai-Mar Cattery in California and Mrs. Helen Smith of MerryMews Cattery in New York, decided that they would commence a breeding program for the longhaired cats.

Helen Smith named the cats 'Balinese' because she felt they showed the grace and beauty of Balinese dancers, and because 'longhaired Siamese' seemed a rather clunky name for such graceful felines.

The breed became quite popular after this, and a number of breeders began working on 'perfecting' the Balinese appearance. This led eventually to the development of two entirely separate 'strands' of Balinese cat - some owners prefer a traditional or 'apple-headed' Balinese, while breeders and judges tend to prefer a more contemporary appearance.

What are the differences between the Traditional and Modern Balinese?

Like the Traditional Siamese, the Traditional Balinese has a heavier more robust body, a rounder head and smaller ears than the modern Balinese. The modern Balinese has a far more slender and refined body and head with large ears. The Traditional Balinese has medium to long hair (2+ inches) over its entire body while the modern Balinese has short hair over its body and long hair only on its plumy tail. Different people prefer different types.

Why aren't Traditional Balinese often seen at cat shows?

Over time the changing whims of the show ring have valued one body type of cat and then abandoned it for another. At the present time, most cat judges favor the modern versions of every breed, be it Balinese, Siamese, Burmese, Himalayan or Persian. The Traditional and Classic Cat International (TCCI) recognizes and actively promotes all of the traditional types because they believe that the traditional types represent more authentic and robust examples of each breed.

Balinese Cat Personality

Like the Siamese, the Balinese loves attention; it is very playful and fond of human company. Though the Balinese is a gregarious creature, it tends to be very vocal, sometimes even talking to itself.

Balinese are easy-going cats adjusting to even large numbers and a wide variety of other animals (birds, dogs, reptiles etc.). This is probably because of their high intelligence.

Balinese are very playful and intelligent cats and for this reason adapt easily to the noise and activity of children, typically throwing themselves right into the middle of the fun. Balinese however will not tolerate being mistreated.